Monday, December 21, 2009

Mitsubishi To Launch Electric Version Of “i” In The UK

Mitsubishi is planning to sell an electric version of its “i” minicar in the UK as early as 2011. Mitsubishi UK managing director Jim Tyrell says: "There's a market for electric vehicles in urban areas if they perform like a regular vehicle, as this one does”.

The Japanese carmaker has already started testing prototypes of the i-MiEV (Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle) concept that utilizes a 47 kW motor. Depending on the battery pack used, the prototype features a driving range of between 81 and 99 miles (130 – 159 km) between charges, with an 81 mph or 130 km/h top speedThe first batch of 300 gasoline powered “i” minicars were launched in the UK this summer and all of them were sold out in less than three weeks. More than 1,500 units of the four-seater minicar with the rear-mounted engine are planned for sale in 2008, with more available if sales continue to be strong.